Toddler walking aid blocks

ABSTRACT

A method of teaching a child to walk is disclosed in which blocks are placed on a supporting surface at a distance apart. The child stands is encouraged to walk between the blocks. One type of block is a box defining a storage compartment including a top wall, a plurality of side walls, and a bottom wall. A layer of padding is provided on the top wall and the plurality of side walls, and a weight member is disposed adjacent the bottom wall. Another type of block is a body of foam including a top surface, a plurality of side surfaces and a bottom surface. A weight member disposed adjacent the bottom surface. With either type of block, a removable cover is provided to receive and enclose the block.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 63/202,573 filed Jun. 16, 2021, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to articles for assisting children to learn howto walk.

BACKGROUND

With regards to infant development, the importance of learning to walkindependently is of paramount importance. When a baby learns to walkindependently, it allows for an overall increase in functionalindependence which is quintessential for learning. From a developmentalstandpoint, a child becoming increasingly more independent as they getolder is effectively their only role or “occupation” at this age.Research shows that independent mobility (i.e. walking) is directlycorrelated with learning for young children. In other words, a child whois able to effectively navigate their environment is thought toexperience a robust acceleration in cognitive development when comparedwith children who are unable to do so.

For this reason, along with general societal pressures, parents findthis developmental milestone (independent walking) to be extremelystressful when their child is struggling to meet this milestone “ontime” which is generally considered by pediatric developmentalprofessionals to be 12 months old, or by the child's first birthday.

The stages of development in terms of infant mobility will follow alinear path that goes as follows: rolling, crawling, cruising, walking.“Cruising” refers to the tactic a baby uses to move around on their feetbefore they are able to walk without support. Cruising consists of ababy standing up and moving by supporting themselves using their upperbody for assistance. When a child cruises, they do so by resting theirarms on something to compensate for the required stability they have notyet developed in their legs to standup and independently walk withoutbalancing on something with their arms. Cruising is most commonly doneby a child using the pieces of furniture around the house. For example,children often cruise along the length of a couch; they face the couch,supporting themselves with their arms, and side-step from one side ofthe couch to the other. Children will often use other pieces offurniture for cruising includes a low table in the living room, anottoman, or even along the side of the wall. Many children lack thestrength or courage to stand on their own two feet that is required forcruising. Furthermore, even when the child does begin to cruise, thismethod of mobility often lasts longer than parents would prefer or evenlonger than what is considered developmentally appropriate. Often timesthis is the result of the child being too nervous to let go of what issupporting their upper body because of instability or for the fear offalling down.

While there have been many products developed over the years that aredesigned to help children learn to walk, none have been designedspecifically to ease the transition between standing, cruising, andactual walking. Existing products on the market are designed tocompensate for the child's inability or unwillingness to walk, ratherthan providing them with a method relying on and further developing theskills they do have, allowing them to practice walking without anycompensatory aide.

This disclosure is directed to solving the above problems and otherproblems as summarized below.

SUMMARY

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to the aboveproblem(s) with a product designed to help babies learn to walkindependently, without any compensatory assistance from products ordevices. This product is designed to allow babies to practice movementon their own, in a way that allows them to feel safe and confident bymeeting them at whatever developmental stage they are at in terms ofmobility. It can accommodate a child who needs to practice anyparticular phase of mobility that they are in, whether that be standing,cruising, or walking, or who is stuck in between any of those stages.

This product is designed to allow babies to practice movement on theirown from point A to point B on their feet, by offering them the idealsurfaces to move back and forth between. This product is comprised of aset of blocks that are approximately 20 inches in height, which allowsthe baby to firmly place their hands on the top of them for balance.This product is also made of soft foam, or covered with a soft foam,with a weighted bottom portion, that allows the baby to comfortably leanon the product, and also protects them if they lose their balance andcollapse onto the product. The blocks are light weight. Childcareproviders can gradually adjust how close the products are together onthe floor. As the baby becomes more confident in their ability tosuccessfully move from one block to the other, the childcare providercan increase the distance between the products. This increases thechallenge for baby, and ultimately increases their walking skills andconfidence that they can successfully transition from one block to theother without falling.

At first the baby will only be able to use the blocks forcruising—meaning the blocks are at arm's length and the baby can balancewith their arms during the transition, but with practice and as theybecome more confident, the blocks will be further separated, and thechild will be willing to practice actual walking. As the blocks aremoved further apart, the child must balance themselves upright withouttheir upper body support during the transition. The top of the blocksare flat, so that a parent or caregiver can coax their child into movingfrom one block to the other by placing an interesting or preferred itemfor the child on top, thus encouraging and motivating them tosuccessfully go and get the item.

According to one aspect of this disclosure as it relates to a method ofteaching a child to walk, the method comprises placing a first blockhaving at least a first padded surface on a supporting surface andplacing a second block having at least a second padded surface on thesupporting surface at a first distance from the first block. The childis then placed in a standing position with the child touching one of thefirst or second blocks. The child is then encouraged to walk to theother one of the first or second blocks until the child walks from oneblock to the other. Once this is accomplished, the second block isrepositioned on the supporting surface at a second distance from thefirst block that is greater than the first distance. The child is thenagain placed in a standing position with the child touching one of thefirst or second blocks after the replacing step and the child is thenagain encouraged to walk to the other one of the first or second blocksuntil the child walks from one block to the other that is at the seconddistance from the first block.

According to another aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus isprovided that comprises a box defining a storage compartment including atop wall, a plurality of side walls and a bottom wall, wherein the topwall is pivotally attached to one of the side walls. A layer of paddingis provided on the top wall and the plurality of sidewalls. A weightmember that weighs more than a combination of the box and the layer ofpadding is disposed adjacent the bottom wall. A flexible cover defininga recess is adapted to receive and enclose the box.

According to another aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus isprovided that comprises a block of foam including a top surface, aplurality of side surfaces and a bottom surface. A weight member thatweighs more than the block of foam is disposed adjacent the bottomsurface. A cover is adapted to receive and enclose the block of foam anda space is provided between the cover and a bottom surface of the foamblock that receives the weight member.

The above aspects of this disclosure and other aspects will be describedbelow with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the body of anapparatus used to teach a child to walk in an open orientation.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the body of the apparatus shown in FIG.1 being inserted in a cover.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the body of the apparatus shown in FIG.1 being received in a cover that is being closed with a zipper closure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of two of the apparatuses shown in FIG. 1shown with a child holding on to one of the apparatuses.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an apparatus usedto teach a child to walk with a block of foam, two weight members and acover being assembled.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the body of the apparatus shown in FIG.5 being received in a cover that is being closed with a zipper closure.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of two of the apparatuses shown in FIG. 5shown with a child holding on to one of the apparatuses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to thedrawings. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare intended to be merely examples that may be embodied in various andalternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. The specific structural and functional details disclosed arenot to be interpreted as limiting, but as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art how to practice the disclosed concepts.

Various features illustrated and described with reference to any one ofthe figures may be combined with features illustrated in one or more ofthe other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitlyillustrated or described. The combinations of features illustratedprovide representative embodiments for typical applications. Variouscombinations and modifications of the features consistent with theteachings of this disclosure could be used in particular applications orimplementations.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a box 10, also referred to herein as a block orapparatus, is shown that includes a pivotable lid 12. The box 10includes a top wall 14, a plurality of sidewalls 16, and a bottom wall18. The top wall 14 of the box is part of the lid 12. A layer of padding20 is provided on the top wall 18 and the plurality of sidewalls 16 toprotect a child who is attempting to learn to walk. The top wall 14,plurality of sidewalls 16, and bottom wall 18 are sufficiently rigid tomaintain the box configuration and may be made from plastic, wood,corrugated material, or the like. The layer of padding 20 may be madefrom polyurethane foam, natural fiber padding (such as cotton), oranother type of foamed polymer.

The lid 12 is attached with a hinge 22 to one of the sidewalls 16. InFIG. 1 , the hinge 22 is shown to be a pair of loops of flexiblematerial but it should be understood that the hinge 22 could be any typeof hinge that permits the top wall to be opened and closed relative tothe sidewalls 16. Other type of hinges may include a door hinge, a pianohinge, a pair of stub shafts received in a pair of openings, or thelike.

A plurality of weight members 24 are shown to be received inside anopening 24 defined by the box 10. A weight member 24 as defined hereinhas a greater mass or density than the combined density of the otherparts of the apparatus and is capable of weighing down the base of theapparatus. In simpler terms the weight member causes the apparatus to bebottom heavy. The weight members 24 in the illustrated embodiment areflexible bags or containers filled with a heavy filler material such abeans, sand, or pellets. The combined weight of the weight members 24 isgreater than the combined weight of the box 10 including the lid 12. Theweight members 24 function to inhibit the box 10 from tipping over undernormal circumstances.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the box 10 with the lid 12 is shown in a closedorientation and is disposed above a cover 26. The arrow below the boxindicates that the box 10 and lid are to be inserted into the cover 26.The cover 26 includes a zipper 28 that closes the cover 26 over the box10 and lid 12.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the box 10 and lid 12 are shown inside the cover26 as the zipper 28 is used to close the cover 26.

Referring to FIG. 4 , two of the apparatus 30 used in the disclosedmethod of teaching a child to walk are shown with a child 32 holdingonto one of the apparatuses 30 that is disposed on a supporting surface34. The other one of the apparatuses 30 is disposed on the supportingsurface 34 at a distance spaced from the one apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 5 , an alternative embodiment of an apparatus 40 forteaching a child to walk is shown in an inverted exploded perspectiveview. The apparatus 40 includes a foam body 42 that defines recesses 44that each receive one of a pair of weight members 46. The density of theweight members 46 is greater than the density of the foam body 42. Afterthe weight members 46 are received in the recesses 44, a cover 48 ispulled up over the foam body 42 and weight members 46 to enclose them. Azipper 50 is used to close the cover 48 but it should be understood thatother types of closures such as hook and loop fastening strips, buttons,or the like may be used instead of a zipper 50. In use, the apparatus 40is positioned with the weight members 46 on the bottom generally belowthe foam body 42.

The foam body 42 includes a bottom wall 52, a plurality of sidewalls 54and a top wall 56. As shown in FIG. 5 , the bottom wall 52 is shown tobe above the sidewalls 54 for assembly purposes. The top wall 56 issmaller than the bottom wall 52 and the side walls 54 are taperedinwardly from the bottom wall 52 to the top wall 56. The broader base ofthe apparatus 40 functions to add stability. The weight members 46 arealso provided in the lower portion of the apparatus 40 to stabilize theapparatus 40.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the cover 48 is shown to be enclosing the foambody 42 and weight members 46 and is being closed by the zipper 50. Thecover 48 functions to hold the foam body 42 and the weight members 46together.

Referring to FIG. 7 , two of the apparatus 40 used in the disclosedmethod of teaching a child to walk are shown with a child 58 holdingonto one of the apparatuses 40 that is disposed on a supporting surface60. The other one of the apparatuses 40 is disposed on the supportingsurface 60 at a distance spaced from the one apparatus.

The method of teaching a child to walk comprises placing a firstapparatus 30, 40 having at least a first padded surface 20, 42 on asupporting surface 34, 60 and placing a second apparatus 30, 40 havingat least a second padded surface 20, 42 on the supporting surface 34, 60at a first distance from the first apparatus 30, 40. The followingdescription of the disclosed method references the embodiment of FIGS.1-4 with the first listed reference numeral and the embodiment of FIGS.5-7 with the second listed reference numeral. The next step in themethod is to place the child 32, 58 in a standing position with thechild touching one of the first or second apparatus 30, 40. The child32, 58 is then encouraged to walk to the other one of the first orsecond apparatus 30, 40 until the child 32, 58 walks from one apparatus30, 40 to the other.

When the child 32, 58 becomes proficient at a first distance, one orboth of the apparatuses may be repositioned on the supporting surface34, 60 at a second distance from the first apparatus 30, 40 that isgreater than the first distance. (In the case where the child is notable to walk from on apparatus to the other at the first distance, theapparatus es may be repositioned closer to each other.) The child 32, 58is then again placed in a standing position with the child 32, 58touching one of the first or second apparatus 30, 40 and the child 32,58 is then again encouraged to walk to the other one of the first orsecond apparatus 30, 40 s until the child 32, 58 walks from oneapparatus 30, 40 to the other that is at the second distance from thefirst apparatus 30, 40.

According to other aspects of the method the first apparatus 30 and thesecond apparatus 30 may each include a hollow box 10 including the topsurface, or top wall 14, and a plurality of side surfaces, or side walls16 including padded surfaces attached to the top surface 14 and theplurality of side surfaces 16. The top surface 14 may be part of the lid12 that is connected by a hinge 22 member to one of the side surfaces 16to be openable to provide access to the inside of the hollow box 10.

The method as shown in FIGS. 1-4 may further comprise using the firstapparatus 30 and the second apparatus 30 that each include a cover 26formed of a flexible fabric that encloses the bottom surface, or bottomwall 18, the top wall 14, and the plurality of side surfaces, or sidewalls 16. The first and the second apparatus 30 may each include aweighted bottom portion. The weighted bottom portion may furthercomprise at least one container for a weight medium having a densitygreater than the density of the foam apparatus 30.

The method as shown in FIGS. 5-7 may further comprise the firstapparatus 40 and the second apparatus 40, or blocks, are each foambodies 42 that each include a weighted bottom portion provided by aweight member. The foam body 42 is made of polymer foam that defines atleast one recess and further comprises at least one container for aweight medium having a density greater than the density of the foam body42. The weight medium may be a quantity of beans, BBs, shot or heavypellets and the container may be a bag holding the beans, or otherweight medium.

A set of the blocks will consist of either two or three blocks.Preferably, the blocks measure approximately 20 inches in height, andhave a base that is approximately 18×18 inches, and a top approximately16×16 inches. Alternatively, the blocks may be rectilinear in shape withtop and bottom surfaces that are of the same size as in the embodimentof FIGS. 1-4 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7 the base may be largerthan the top, giving it a tapered or trapezoid appearance and give theblocks greater stability allowing the child to rest their weight on theblock, or crash into the block after losing their balance, withoutknocking the block over. The components may consist of a soft foam, witha washable cover that goes over it like a sleeve, which is then closedwith a zipper.

At the base of the foam, on opposite sides, two recesses, or spaces, aredefined that run along the length of the side. A bean bag filled bag, orcontainer, may be placed in the recesses and is secured when the sleeveis applied and closed with the zipper. The weighted member, or bean bag,adds greater stability.

The top of the blocks may include materials of various textures thatserve multiple purposes. The texture of the surfaces may be used tomotivate the child to stand and engage with the blocks. The texture ofthe blocks may provide a sensory rich experience for the baby from atactile standpoint when they place their hands on the top of the blocksand explore the different textures.

The embodiments described above are specific examples that do notdescribe all possible forms of the disclosure. The features of theillustrated embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments ofthe disclosed concepts. The words used in the specification are words ofdescription rather than limitation. The scope of the following claims isbroader than the specifically disclosed embodiments and includesmodifications of the illustrated embodiments. In addition, the featuresof various implementing embodiments may be combined to form furtherembodiments of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of teaching a child to walk comprising:placing a first apparatus having at least a first padded surface on asupporting surface; placing a second apparatus having at least a secondpadded surface on the supporting surface at a first distance from thefirst apparatus; placing the child in a standing position with the childtouching one of the first or second apparatus; encouraging the child towalk to the other one of the first or second apparatus until the childwalks from one apparatus to the other; replacing the second apparatus onthe supporting surface at a second distance from the first apparatusthat is greater than the first distance; placing the child in a standingposition with the child touching one of the first or second apparatusafter replacing the second apparatus on the supporting surface; andencouraging the child to walk to the other one of the first or secondapparatus until the child walks from one apparatus to the other that isat the second distance from the first apparatus.
 2. The method of claim1 wherein the first apparatus and the second apparatus each include ahollow box having a top surface and a plurality of side surfaces,wherein the first and second padded surfaces are attached to the topsurface and the plurality of side surfaces, respectively.
 3. The methodof claim 2 wherein the top surface is part of a lid that is connected bya hinge to one of the side surfaces to be openable to provide accessinside the hollow box.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the firstapparatus and the second apparatus each include a cover formed of aflexible fabric that encloses a bottom surface, the top surface, and theplurality of side surfaces.
 5. The method of claim 2 wherein the firstand the second apparatus each include a weight member in a bottomportion of the box.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the weight memberfurther comprises: at least one container for a weight medium having acombined weight greater than the weight of the hollow box.
 7. The methodof claim 1 wherein the first apparatus and the second apparatus are eachfoam apparatus that each include a weight member in a bottom portion ofthe apparatus.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the foam apparatus is ablock that defines at least one recess and further comprises: at leastone container for a weight medium having a density greater than thedensity of the foam block.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the weightmedium is a quantity of beans and the container is a bag.
 10. Anapparatus comprising: a box including a top wall, a plurality of sidewalls and a bottom wall, wherein the top wall is pivotally attached toone of the side walls; a layer of padding provided on the top wall andthe plurality of side walls; a weight member disposed adjacent thebottom wall wherein the weight member weighs more than a combination ofthe box and the layer of padding; and a flexible cover defining a recessadapted to receive and enclose the box.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10wherein the top wall is pivotally attached to one sidewall with a hinge.12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the weight member furthercomprises: at least one container for a weight medium having a densitygreater than the density of the density of the combination of the boxand the layer of padding.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein thepellet weight medium is a quantity of beans and the container is a bag.14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the apparatus is a first apparatusand a second apparatus that each include the box, the layer of padding,the weight member, and the flexible cover, and wherein the firstapparatus and the second apparatus are adapted to be placed on asupporting surface at a distance from each other, the first apparatusand the second apparatus are adapted to be used in combination byplacing the second apparatus at a first distance from the firstapparatus; placing a child in a standing position with the childtouching one of the first or second apparatus, and encouraging the childto walk to the other one of the first or second apparatus until thechild walks from one apparatus to the other; and repositioning one ofthe apparatus at a different distance from the other apparatus; placingthe child in a standing position with the child touching one of thefirst or second apparatus; and encouraging the child to walk to theother one of the first or second apparatus until the child walks fromone apparatus to the other that is at a different distance from thefirst apparatus.
 15. An apparatus comprising: a block of foam includinga top surface, a plurality of side surfaces and a bottom surface; aweight member disposed adjacent the bottom surface, wherein the weightmember weighs more than the block of foam; and a cover adapted toreceive and enclose the block of foam, wherein a space is providedbetween the cover and a bottom surface of the foam block that receivesthe weight member.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the block offoam defines at least one recess in the bottom surface that is adaptedto receive the weight member.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein theweight member further comprises: at least one container for a weightmedium that in combination weigh more than the combination of the boxand the layer of padding.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein theweight medium is a quantity of beans and the container is a bag.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 17 wherein the apparatus is a first apparatus and asecond apparatus that each include the box, the layer of padding, theweight member, and the flexible cover, and wherein the first apparatusand the second apparatus are adapted to be placed on a supportingsurface at a distance from each other, the first apparatus and thesecond apparatus are adapted to be used in combination by placing thesecond apparatus at a first distance from the first apparatus; placing achild in a standing position with the child touching one of the first orsecond apparatus, and encouraging the child to walk to the other one ofthe first or second apparatus until the child walks from one apparatusto the other; and repositioning one of the apparatus at a differentdistance from the other apparatus; placing the child in a standingposition with the child touching one of the first or second apparatus;and encouraging the child to walk to the other one of the first orsecond apparatus until the child walks from one apparatus to the otherthat is at a different distance from the first apparatus.
 20. Theapparatus of claim 15 wherein the top surface is smaller than the bottomsurface and the side walls extend between the top surface and the bottomsurface and converge from the bottom surface to the top surface.